"You want me…to teach you how to cook?"
Yang scratched the back of her head nervously, unsure of whether or not she had heard Blake correctly. They were lounging on the couch in each other's arms, passing the time with idle chatter and dinner suggestions when Blake made her request. She looked down at the pair of amber eyes peering up at her expectantly.
"Yes," Blake held, her ears flattening against her head. "Why? Is there something wrong with that?"
"N-no, no!" Yang sputtered. She cleared her throat and breathed an exasperated sigh, cursing herself for upsetting Blake. "I'm just wondering what made you bring it up all of a sudden."
Blake's eyes roved over Yang's face, narrowing ever so slightly. A blush lit up behind her cheeks and her ears twitched as she cast her gaze down to the floor.
"You always cook for me, Yang," she muttered, linking her fingers with Yang's. "I figured it would be nice if I could cook for you for a change. Let you relax a little."
A small smile danced across Yang's lips. She had taught herself how to cook back when she and Ruby were still children. Someone had to keep the little sugar monster happy and healthy. Although, thinking about it, she never really considered teaching someone else how to cook. Now that the idea was on the table, she couldn't help but feel her heartbeat quicken with excitement.
"Okay," Yang replied with a nod. Blake's eyes lit up as Yang pulled her closer, planting a sweet kiss on her lips and drawing out a surprised gasp. Yang broke away slowly and gave her a mischievous wink.
"Welcome to the Xiao Long School of Culinary Arts!" she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
Blake rolled her eyes, sinking into Yang's embrace and letting out a happy "mhmm."
"Okay, Professor Xiao Long," she teased, drawing out Yang's new title on her tongue with a subtle tinge of amusement in her tone. "Where do we start?"
Yang chuckled at Blake's remark and slid off the couch, stretching out her back with a few satisfying pops. A groan of relief rumbled in her throat as she offered her hand to Blake and hoisted her up onto her feet.
"Well," Yang began, wrapping her arms around Blake's waist," we need to decide on what we're gonna have, first. So, what sounds good for dinner?"
Blake rested her head against Yang's chest and considered the question for a moment.
"Hmm…I mean, fish is always nice," she offered.
"Of course," Yang laughed and combed her fingers through Blake's dark hair. "I don't know why I expected you to say anything else."
Blake's cheeks flushed at Yang's gesture and she turned and coughed.
"S-so…" she mumbled, fidgeting in Yang's embrace. "Could we make tuna?" She looked up at Yang earnestly. "Maybe with a vegetable or something?"
The look on her face absolutely melted Yang's heart. Her lips were curled into a shy smile and her ears flicked upward.
"S-sure," Yang returned, trying to ignore the waves of butterflies fluttering about in her chest. "We still have some tuna thawing in the fridge from the other day." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! And I picked up some broccoli from the market while I was visiting Ruby, so there's that too." Blake's lips parted to let a few excited breaths out. Yang beamed. "How does that sound, Kitten?"
Blake nodded her head a little more enthusiastically than she normally would. A hearty chuckle thundered in Yang's chest as she pulled Blake closer, bathing in their shared warmth for a few brief moments.
"Alright." She took Blake's hands and guided her into the kitchen. "First things first, we need to get the ingredients and cooking supplies out. We're going to make tuna steaks, so we'll need the fish, butter, oil, salt, and pepper. Some broccoli, too." She paused for a brief moment to glance at Blake. "We'll pan fry the tuna and steam the broccoli, so we'll need two pans, a pot, and the steamer." She gestured to the cabinet beneath the stove and clapped her hands together. "Oh! And we'll also need a spoon for scooping out the broccoli and some tongs for handling the tuna while it's cooking. Those should be in the drawer just above the pots and pans."
Blake shot her a dirty look.
"I know my way around our kitchen, Yang," she grumbled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Even if I'm not the one cooking."
Yang laughed and brushed the comment aside, going over what she said in her mind to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything.
"If you don't mind getting those out, I can get the rest," she finished.
Blake nodded and set about her task. Yang watched her briefly before turning and opening the fridge. She dug out the plastic-wrapped pieces of tuna they had leftover from a few nights ago. She set them on the counter beside her and retrieved a stick of butter and a head of broccoli, setting them down next to the fish and shutting the fridge with her foot. She walked over to the cabinet above the microwave and pulled out a bottle of olive oil, the salt shaker, and the pepper grinder, resting them on the counter behind the other ingredients. She directed her attention back to Blake and found her setting up the stove, placing the two frying pans on the front burners and a pot with the steamer inside on the back-right burner. Two tongs and a large, slotted spoon rested beside the stove. Blake met her gaze and trotted over, her eyes glimmering in anticipation.
Yang felt her heart jump up to her throat. Blake wasn't one to show a whole lot of emotion, usually adopting a cool, reserved demeanor. When she did show emotion, she was either very upset or very excited. Seeing her so happy lit a fire in Yang's chest and she couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Okay," Yang nodded, taking stock of the ingredients and supplies they had laid out. "That should be everything. Let's wash up and get cooking!"
The pair thoroughly washed their hands in the kitchen sink, drying their hands with a spare dish towel before making their way over to the ingredients sitting on the counter.
"Alright," Yang began as Blake finished drying her hands. "First, we need to wash the broccoli and get rid of any dirt that might be stuck in it."
She picked up the head of broccoli and met Blake by the sink. She turned on the cool tap and held the broccoli under it.
"See? You want to gently massage it, like this," Yang demonstrated, running her hand over the surface of the broccoli. "Here," she nodded to Blake and handed her the head of broccoli.
Blake hesitantly placed the broccoli under the water and scrubbed its stalk and florets with her finger tips. She glanced back at Yang for some kind of feedback, earning a smile and a quick thumbs up. Yang tore off a few sheets of paper towel from the roll and handed them to Blake.
"Then you just pat it dry," she instructed.
As Blake continued cleaning and drying the broccoli, Yang opened a drawer beneath the counter and retrieved a sizable knife from inside, along with a wooden cutting board. Noticing that Blake had finished her task, Yang gestured for her to come over with her forefinger and tapped the cutting board with her knife.
"Next, we'll have you separate the florets from the stalk."
Blake set the head of broccoli down on the cutting board. Yang nodded and carefully held the knife out for her.
"Here, I'll show you where to cut it." She stood behind Blake and shifted her in front of the cutting board. "See where the florets branch out from the stalk?" Yang reached past Blake and pointed at one of the protruding stems. "Cut there, in between the stems and the stalk."
Blake did as she was told, furrowing her brow in concentration. Yang gently rested her hands on Blake's hips and let out a happy hum.
"You're so cute when you're serious, Blakey," she cooed.
Blake fumbled with the knife and let out a sharp gasp. She had nicked her finger with the tip of the blade, a droplet of blood growing from the cut. The warmth drained from Yang's face.
"A-ah, Blake!" she sputtered, jumping back. "I'm sorry! I'll go get you a bandage!"
Yang dashed down the hall from the kitchen and burst into the bathroom. She tore the cabinet open and frantically scanned its shelves for the bandages. Spotting the box, she quickly pulled one out and ran back out, only to find Blake waiting patiently while holding her hand. She smiled and held out her bleeding finger. Yang peeled the paper away from the bandage and carefully wrapped it around Blake's finger, prompting a pained flick of her cat ears.
"B-Blake," Yang choked on the bundle of guilty nerves creeping up her throat, the pinpricks of tears stinging her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry…I didn't mean to distract you—"
Blake pressed herself into Yang and cut her off with a deep kiss on the lips, running her hands up her sides and cupping her cheeks. She stroked Yang's cheek with her bandaged hand, tucking a few stray strands of blonde hair behind her ear.
"It's okay, Yang," she said softly, planting another kiss on Yang's nose for good measure. "Thank you."
Blake's lips lit a fire behind Yang's cheeks. Yang ran a hand through her hair and glanced away with a bashful smile. Blake always knew how to calm her down, even when Yang was the one causing problems.
Blake finished separating the florets from the stalk and cut them into manageable, bite-sized pieces. She turned to Yang and nodded.
"Okay, what's next?" she asked, setting the knife down on the cutting board.
"Right, okay." Yang removed the steamer from its pot and filled the pot about halfway with warm water. She placed it back on the stove and set the steamer inside. She turned on the back burner, setting the pot's lid down slightly ajar. "We need to let the water come to a boil before we can add the broccoli."
Blake watched her carefully and nodded frequently, probably taking mental notes of Yang's movements and verbal instructions. Yang stifled a chuckle and turned the burners on under the two frying pans.
"While we wait for the pans to heat up, let's prepare the fish," she said, at which Blake's ears perked up a little.
Yang removed the tuna steaks from their plastic wrap and placed them on the cutting board. She stole a couple glances at Blake, who was practically drooling over the fish.
"Hey, Blake" Yang tapped her shoulder, causing Blake to jump a little. She stood upright, her cheeks mildly flushing. Yang giggled and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Pay attention, Kitten. Next, we're going to season the fish."
She pulled Blake over to the counter and wrapper her hand around Blake's waist. Blake eyed her curiously.
"So," Yang started, gesturing at the salt and pepper, "we'll just be using a little salt and pepper. Nothing fancy." She grabbed the salt shaker and tapped it over one of the tuna steaks. She then dusted it with a few twists of black pepper. "Just a little bit should do. We'll season both sides—" she patted the top of the fish before flipping it over and seasoning the other side, "—just like that, okay?"
Blake nodded and mimicked her actions, even including the gentle pats on each side of the fish. She turned her gaze to Yang, her amber eyes seeking her approval.
Yang had never seen Blake so eager to please. Blake did plenty out of the goodness of her heart, but she seemed particularly inclined to make Yang proud today. The little gesture tugged at Yang's heart.
"Blake…" Yang murmured. She drew Blake in close and pressed a hard kiss to her lips, a low, playful growl rumbling in her chest. "Why are you so darn cute?"
Blake blushed and looked down, shuffling a little closer to Yang and letting a giggle slip past her lips.
"What's next?" Blake asked, turning her head back up to meet Yang's eyes.
"We get cooking!" Yang cheered, a grin spreading across her lips in response to Blake's obvious annoyance with being teased. She retrieved a butter knife from a drawer under the counter and unwrapped the stick of butter. "We'll sear the fish with a little bit of butter and olive oil."
She cut a small pad of butter free from the stick and dropped it in her frying pan. She popped the lid off of the bottle of oil and drizzled some into the pan.
"Swirl it around and coat the pan evenly," Yang directed, doing just that as Blake repeated her movements. Letting out a satisfied "hmph," she continued, "Alright, now carefully place the fish in. Make sure you drop it away from you so you don't get splattered by the oil." Yang demonstrated, setting her fish in away from her and watching as Blake followed suit.
"We'll sear both sides for about a minute and a half each," Yang explained, gesturing at the time on the microwave's clock.
As if on cue, steam began to vent through the gap between the pot and its lid.
"Ah, good, the broccoli can go in now," Yang noted, removing the lid and dropping the broccoli in. As she reseated the lid, she added, "It should only take a minute or two longer than the tuna."
She glanced back at Blake. Blake's eyes darted from the microwave's clock back to her fish repeatedly and she bit her lower lip. Yang couldn't help but let a little "aww" slip out, squeezing Blake's shoulder. Blake shot her a nervous smile.
After a minute and a half passed, Yang grabbed the tongs and handed one to Blake. She carefully picked up her fish and flipped it over, nodding for Blake to do the same. Blake gently flipped her fish over and let out a soft gasp, marveling at the seared surface of the tuna.
"Yeah, just like that, Blake!" Yang shot her a radiant smile, prompting a blush to quickly rise to Blake's cheeks. She returned with a shy smile and leaned into Yang's shoulder, causing another burst of butterflies to dance around in Yang's chest.
"it smells so good, doesn't it?" Blake purred, rubbing her cheek gently against Yang's arm. "I hope it tastes good."
"I-I'm sure it will taste just fine, Kitten." Yang pressed a quick kiss to her ear.
Yang found herself focusing more on Blake than her cooking, the way she furrowed her brow when she concentrated, how her ears twitched with every sizzle and pop of the fish in her pan. Her amber eyes roved over its seared surface hungrily, a small, permanent smile fixated on her lips. This display was quite unlike the Blake she usually saw. Yang leaned into her, enjoying a bit of her warmth and the savory smells that filled the kitchen.
"…Yang, I think yours is burning!" Blake's voice knocked her out of her trance with a start.
Yang immediately turned off her burner and moved her pan to a cooler part of the stove, but the damage had already been done. She checked the underside of the fish. It was considerably darker than the other side. She sighed and shook her head.
"Aw man," Yang groaned. "I completely screwed that up. And here I was supposed to be teaching you how to cook…" She turned to Blake with a defeated smile. "Yours is still okay, right?"
"Y-yeah," Blake nodded, gesturing to her pan. "I turned off the burner as soon as time was up. I…I guess I was too focused on my own fish to realize you hadn't turned yours off…" Her ears flattened against her head apologetically.
"No worries, Kitten," Yang said, wrapping her arms around Blake. "That's all that matters." She reached down and turned off the broccoli's burner. "The broccoli should be ready, too. Go ahead and cut your tuna into strips. I'll get a bowl for the broccoli."
Yang made her way over to the cabinets next to the microwave, retrieving a wide bowl from inside. She set it on the counter next to the stove, picking up the large spoon Blake had set out earlier. She removed the pot's lid and let some of the steam dissipate before she scooped the broccoli into the bowl. She sprinkled some salt and pepper over the broccoli before cutting and dropping another pad of butter into the bowl. She wrapped the butter and placed it back in the fridge, picking up the bowl of broccoli and setting it in the middle of the small, wooden dining table just outside of the kitchen.
The gentle clang of the knife on the counter caught her attention and she returned to Blake's side. Blake had just finished slicing her tuna steak. The outside was beautifully crusted while the flesh inside had taken on a luscious shade of red: perfectly rare.
"Wow…" Yang struggled to find the right words. "Blake, that looks amazing!" Blake's ears perked up and she looked up at Yang, her cheeks flushing. "It's a shame mine didn't turn out so good," she laughed.
Blake's ears drooped a little as Yang cut into her own tuna. The inside of the fish looked the same as the outside: dry and flakey. She shrugged, snagging two plates from the cabinets by the microwave and handing one to Blake. The two carefully scraped their fish onto their plates. Yang pulled out a fork for each of them and handed one to Blake.
They made their way over to the dining table. Yang helped herself to a sizable portion of broccoli and offered the spoon to Blake while she sat down opposite of her. They briefly sat in silent anticipation before Yang stabbed at one her strips and took a bite out of it. Yup, flakey and dry, just like she thought. Her disappointment must have been pretty obvious, because she looked up at Blake and caught her eyes filling with concern.
"A-ah," Yang managed, swallowing her fish. "I can't believe I screwed up this badly while trying to help you." When Blake's gaze refused to shift, she playfully added, "Might have to close down the Xiao Long School of Culinary Arts, huh?"
Blake stood up with her plate and walked over to Yang's side of the table. Yang watched her suspiciously.
"Here, Yang," Blake said, tilting her plate a little. "Have some of mine."
As she went to push a few strips onto Yang's plate, Yang shook her head.
"N-no, that's fine, Blake," she stammered. "I'll be fine, promise. I don't want you to have to give up any of your tuna just because I made a dumb mistake. Besides, there's plenty of other things—"
"Yang," Blake insisted, holding her plate out towards her. "I…I want you to try my cooking." Her face was as red as the fish on her plate.
"O-oh…" Yang shoved down the nerves in her throat and fought back a blush. "In that case…th-thanks, Kitten…" She held out her plate and Blake happily slid a few strips of tuna onto it.
Blake returned to her place at the table and watched Yang breathlessly, her chin resting in her hands.
She wanted Yang to try it first.
Yang smiled nervously, picking up a piece of Blake's fish with her fork and sticking it in her mouth. A burst of salty, savory flavor washed over her tongue. It was juicy, tender, fishy (but in a good way), and just…amazing. Yang brought her attention back to Blake, whose amber eyes wavered with uncertainty. She was practically leaning over the table, waiting for a response.
"W-well?" Blake pressed.
"Blake…" Yang's jaw hung open in astonishment. "This…this is, like, the best thing I've ever tasted!" Blake's ears shot up in response and her eyes widened.
"R-really?" Blake could barely hide the excitement in her voice. She stabbed her own piece of fish and popped it into her mouth. A wave of pure bliss washed over her face as she savored the tuna's flavor, a delighted "mmm" escaping her lips.
"Man, you didn't need me to teach you anything!" Yang laughed. "You're way better than me!"
Blake blushed and furiously shook her head.
"Th-that's not true, Yang," she stuttered, though the soft purr tickling her words gave away her obvious pleasure with the compliment. "I just…got lucky, is all."
"Blakey!" Yang cried, leaning into the table. "Don't be so modest! You've got a real talent for this!"
Blake gave her a shy smile and bowed her head in appreciation.
The two finished their dinner over some lively chatter. Yang shared stories from her childhood with Ruby, like the time they made an absolute mess of the kitchen trying to bake cookies together. Blake responded with her own experiences with her parents back home in Menagerie. As they finished eating, they grabbed the dishes and silverware and put them in the sink, rinsing them out with a little water. Yang retrieved the pot, pans, knives, and tongs from the stove and scrubbed them under the running tap.
As they went about cleaning, Blake leaned into Yang's side and breathed a happy sigh.
"Yang," she whispered, "thank you so much for today."
"Of course, Kitten," Yang returned with a smile. "I'd love to do it again sometime." She placed a kiss between Blake's ears. "Maybe I'll actually keep an eye on my own food next time."
Blake let out a gentle laugh as they continued scrubbing away. They finished washing the dishes and set them out to dry, drying their hands with a spare towel. Yang turned to go lie down on the couch in the living room, but Blake grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to look at her. Yang let out a surprised yelp and wrapped her hands around Blake's waist for support, finding herself face to face with her.
Blake threw her arms tightly around Yang's neck, her amber eyes roving over Yang's face greedily.
"Yang…"
They locked eyes and stood in silence for a few brief moments before closing the gap between them, their lips meeting in the middle for a long, passionate kiss. The salty taste of the fish lingered on Blake's lips as Yang pressed her tongue past, twisting and dancing with Blake's. She ran her hands up and down Blake's sides. Blake pulled her in tighter, dragging her fingers through Yang's hair. A soft moan rumbled in Yang's throat as Blake pulled back. Yang followed her, nipping at her lower lip before resting their foreheads against each other, their cheeks flushed and breathing labored.
"Yang…" Blake purred between short gasps. "I love you so, so much…"
Yang smiled and gave Blake another sweet and chaste kiss. She breathed her reply against Blake's lips.
"I love you too, Blake."